Many pundits will say that Michael Vick started to go downhill after he got his new $100 million deal. Those who know the game and Vick will suggest that things started to change when the Eagles offensive line stopped protecting him.

A big reason for the lack of play by the offensive line can be traced to when Andy Reid made offensive line coach Juan Castillo the defensive coordinator, and replace him with Howard Mudd.

At that point the protections changed and the Eagles stopped protecting Vick. That coaching switch is not lost on Vick either, who according to the Philadelphia Inquirer was not a fan of the change.

“Obviously, yeah. Just being honest and candid about the situation,” Vick said Thursday. “Things changed dramatically. It is what it is. … We all kind of gradually worked our way into it until we got comfortable. I had to learn new protection schemes, verbiage. And we shuffled around a lot of players. So everybody had to start all over.”

“We all kind of gradually worked our way into it until we got comfortable,” Vick said. “I had to learn new protection schemes, verbiage. And we shuffled around a lot of players. So everybody had to start all over.”

“Because Howard and Juan are two totally different personalities and two totally different schemes,” Vick said. “And they like their own caliber of players. It was different. But we lost Juan to the defense, so I had to go with what I had to go with.”

It could be said that when Andy Reid hired Juan Castillo as defensive coordinator, he basically weakened and ruined what were the Eagles 2 strengths.

I am interested in seeing what kind of player Vick can be again in a different system, and one in which he has a line to protect him.

6 COMMENTS

Somebody get Vick a tissue. Honestly, I watched the films too and what I saw was recevivers open early but Vick failing to make a decision or being to too short to see over the line. You can’t consistently hold the frickin ball all day Mike. The reality is injuries killed the line and its protection. Vick can blame Mudd, it’s cowardly not to own failures, but Mudd has had more succes than failure when compared to Vick. I mean seriously 3 set drop is a 2-3 sec pocket not 5-7. Vick’s indecision caused many of his hits and missed blocks by RBs. Now is that to say the O-Line didnt have problems? Of Course not, King Dunlap is terrible, Demetrius Bell worse than terrible. Only bright spots on line were Evan Mathis, Herrmans before injury, Scott, and discovery of Kelly at RT.